Crowded House Reuniting To Play And Record

More than 10 years after Crowded House supposedly played their final show on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, the band are reforming to record a new album and perform for the first time without drummer Paul Hester.

After Hester committed suicide in 2005, group leader Neil Finn said that he'd never revive the band. But he apparently had a change of heart, according to a post by Peter Green, the webmaster for the Frenz.com website that focuses on the music of Crowded House, Split Enz, Neil and his brother, Tim Finn.

"It's an instant knee-jerk reaction, 'no Paul no Crowded House' for some, and you know, that's actually okay. Simply don't see them or play the new record. But there is a good chance you might be missing out on something special. Sometimes it's worth taking a leap of faith and giving something a chance.

"Neil has had a hankering to play in a band again and what better band to do this in but the one he had the most joy with."

Finn (vocals, guitar) had originally intended to record a new solo album with Crowded House bassist Mark Seymour, but things changed somewhere along the way. Auditions are being held to find a drummer to replace Hester. Multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart will join the reconstituted band for concerts, including a performance at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California in April.

EMI recently released Crowded House's Farewell To The World, which documented the aforementioned 1996 show in Sydney, on CD and DVD.

Split Enz, the new wave band formed by the Finn brothers before Crowded House, played a number of reunion shows last year.